Thank God It’s Saturday - Week 3
September 12th, 2008 at 12:10 pmBy Chris
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There’s a lot of college football to watch this weekend, even with Hurricane Ike interfering the state of Texas’ football slate. The game getting all the national attention is the Navy at Duke and ESPN is pulling out all the coverage stops it can think of to bring you every aspect of Duke versus Navy you can think of.
There’s also a random meeting of the state school from Ohio and that one California school famous for their condoms; although, the hype surrounding this game is surprisingly lacking. It’s so bad, the MSM has completely missed the boat on Chris “Beanie” Wells and his questionable availability. OK, I think I’ve made my point.
USC versus Ohio State — 8/7 Central on ABC
Welcome to the Game of the Century of the Year. Will the 10.5-point favorite Trojans run wild on Buckeyes or will Beanie Wells play and save the day for the sweatered one? There is an absolute ton of hype surrounding this game and ESPN is doing their part to make sure you don’t miss one second of coverage. With all the talk about Ohio State struggling with the Ohio Bobcats last Saturday and the Beanie Wells foot injury, the thinking seems to be USC is going to take OSU lightly and the game will be closer than the odd makers would want you to believe. Well, I’m not buying it.
USC has something OSU struggles with — fantastic team speed on both sides of the ball. While Jim Tressel is playing Beanie Wells games, Pete Carroll’s team features six running backs that could probably start at just about any school in America.
Prediction: USC over OSU, 38-14.
Auburn at Mississippi State — 7/6 Central on ESPN 2
Before they lost to Louisiana Tech in week one, the thinking was this game was going to be a tough one for Auburn, something Mississippi State’s 2007 season contributed to. Now the Tigers are 10.5 point favorite, a rarity for a road game in the SEC. Will Tommy Tuberville allow his offense to pass more or is he going to stick with the run (in their first two games, Auburn has thrown for 333 yards while rushing for 453)? Can Sylvester Croom get his team playing the type of defense that took them to the Liberty Bowl last season?
Prediction: Auburn wins, 27-10.
Georgia at South Carolina — 3:30/2:30 Central on CBS
This game will do one of two things and maybe both — reveal whether or not Steve Spurrier has a team worth noticing or it will solidify Georgia as one of the top teams in the country. This is a big test for the Gamecocks as more and more people wonder if Spurrier is committed to building a winner in Columbia. As for Georgia, every road game in the SEC is a potential landmine that could spoil their goals of BCS glory. From where I’m sitting, the Bulldogs have too much talent and too much Knowshon — who could make a strong Heisman candidate statement — for the Gamecocks to handle, especially if the same team that struggled with Vanderbilt shows up.
Prediction: Georgia wins big, 35-6.
Kansas at South Florida — 8:00/7:00 Central on ESPN 2
Tonight, we find out how Kansas handles a little road adversity, something they didn’t get to experience that often during last season’s great BCS run. Are the Jayhawks really for real? They get their chance to silence a lot of doubters tonight if they can beat an upstart and favored (3.5) South Florida team. Both teams have offenses that can score a bunch of points, while Kansas looks a little stronger on the defensive end.
Prediction: South Florida scrapes by, 31-28.
Michigan at Notre Dame — 3:45/2:45 Central on NBC
While the names on the marquee look good, this game actually serves as a “which program has fallen further” measuring stick. Both teams look, well, mediocre is about the best thing I can say. The Irish looked lost struggling with San Diego State and Rich Rodriguez’ Michigan team looks like it’s about two years away from being able to run his offensive scheme. It’s funny, but only thing that will remind you of which programs are actually playing will be the ever-recognizable fight songs. If not for those, some might mistake it for high school football.
Prediction: Considering how bad each offense looks, I’m saying Michigan over the Irish, 2-0.
Other Games of Note
Georgia Tech at Virginia Tech — will the real ACC please stand up?
Wisconsin at Fresno State — a dangerous road trip for the Badgers before they start Big Ten play.
East Carolina at Tulane — does the Pirates early season magic end in Louisiana?
Arkansas at Texas — Bobby Petrino’s Razorbacks are a 24-point underdog but it is an SEC versus Big 12 match-up.
Stumble it!
- You Might Also Enjoy:
- Thank God It’s Saturday - Week 4
- Georgia On My Mind
- Thank God It’s Saturday - Week 5
